


YOU SHOULD KNOW I’M GREEN (but I’ll find my way around)

by theadamantdaughter



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: (i didn't edit this/beta it), M/M, Schmico, just teeth-rotting fluff, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 01:04:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16944060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theadamantdaughter/pseuds/theadamantdaughter
Summary: And he credits the warmth of Nico’s hand as the only reason he’s not panicking right now, like he has been all day long. The jittery nerves, the flutter in his heart — those feelings are still there, just… not quite as strong. Every step they take on their comfortably quiet walk pushes the anxiety further away, and eventually, Levi settles into a stride of confidence, completely in place on Nico’s arm.—First dates have a way of making Levi nervous.





	YOU SHOULD KNOW I’M GREEN (but I’ll find my way around)

“What about this one?”

Taryn rummages within his closet, adding to the disarray before she recedes with a red-and-white, plaid flannel. It’s soft, tapered at the waist for a tailored look, but it’s also something his grandmother bought him three Christmas’s prior.

And hardly his style. If he has a style.

“Are we aiming for gay lumberjack now? Is that it?”

“You’re right.” Taryn looks over the shirt skeptically, fingering the soft sleeve for a moment. Her head bobs with a concise nod. “You don’t have the muscle definition.”

Sighing at her back, Levi flops down on his bed, a forlorn frown directed at the low ceiling. “This is stupid. I’m being stupid,” he commiserates to no one, dragging a hand down his face.

There’s a day’s worth of stubble there, which he half considers shaving, but Levi reasons that’ll only result in looking younger, looking more naive, and looking that much more out of place next to Dr. Nico Kim, Grey Sloan fellow and orthopedic surgeon. Roughly, he scrubs at the hair growth, decides to keep it how it is, and lets his hand fall to his bedspread.

The cotton is blue, gently-worn in, and the complete opposite to what he imagines may be in Nico’s room. A guy like that must have… crisp linens, seamless lines of grey and black and olive green all working in tandem, and furniture that didn’t once belong to his parents. Levi huffs. Maybe he shouldn’t go through with this. Maybe he should call Nico and cut this whole thing off before he realizes just how inadequate—

“Stop it.”

Snapped from his thoughts, Levi lifts his head slightly. Taryn is glaring at him, a black motorcycle jacket in her hand. It has sparse denim details, and a grey hood, which she matches well with a button down jean shirt.

“Stop what?”

“Brooding. Karev’s the only one who can successfully pull it off.”

“I’m not brooding.”

_ “Mhm.” _

She tosses the garments onto the bed beside him, momentarily pulled to the closet for a pair of grey pants. Satisfied with her selection, Taryn adds the pants to the outfit and gestures at the bathroom.

“Stop pouting then,” she calls after him. “You really have nothing to worry about.”

Through the door, Levi sighs loudly enough to be heard. “I’m just- he’s so—” He stares at his discarded sweats and tee. Bold, graphic letters make an obscure reference to Dungeons and Dragons across the front. “Nico’s  _cool._  He knows what he’s doing and I’m completely inexperienced. I’m—”

“You’re you,” Taryn says. “Dorky and cute and a little bit weird and he likes that.” There’s a pause. She’s waiting for him to answer, but Levi holds his breath. He wills himself to believe it in the silence, prompted by Taryn’s, “Right? That’s what he said.”

“Yeah.”

The air in his lungs rushes from him. Levi shoves into the grey pants and adds the button-down. When he returns from the bathroom, Taryn leaves his bed to adjust his collar and smooth his hair, then hands him the jacket to finish the look.

“What if he changes his mind?”

“He won’t.” Her voice is firm; her eyes, honest. “And if he does? He’s an ass. A blind ass.” Taryn’s hands linger on his arms for a moment. “Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

A smile touches his lips, tentative, but forever grateful for his friend.

“Thanks, Taryn.”

“ _Mm_. Now, go!” She pushes him from his room, crowding their ascent up the stairs to the main level. “You said you’d be there by seven.”

“Will you text me with tips?”

“No!”

“Why not?” Levi protests. “I need the help!”

“Because you’re going to be fine!”

She bodily shoves him towards the front door, and once he’s outside, Levi hears the deadbolt slide into place. He glances back only one time, spying her blue eyes in the window, alongside those of his two other roommates.

_Great._ He gathers his courage, steels himself with a tense breath.  _Here goes nothing._

**— —**  


The cab ride to Nico’s is too long. 

No. Too quick.

He’s breathless when he climbs out, trembling when he tips the driver, and stunned stupid when Nico opens his front door and joins him on the stoop.

“H-hey.” Levi’s smile feels excessive. He tries to shake it, but it won’t leave his face.

At least Nico has a bright grin to match. “Hey. You look nice.”

“Thank you.”  

Nico slides into his heather-grey coat; the cut manages to hover between professional and casual, adding to the sharp line of Nico’s jaw, his perfectly styled hair, and the crisp shape of his dark blue jeans. Levi feels a blush coming long before Nico takes his hand, and from there, it only worsens.

“How- how was your day?”

“Good. Better now.”

“Because—”

“You’re here.”

“Ah.”

Is he serious?

And, is that pink he sees on Nico’s cheeks? The streetlights make it impossible to tell, but Levi can hope.

They reach the corner, a few meters from Nico’s building, and Nico directs him across the street, hand-in-hand as he leads them along. The area is nice, an up-and-coming neighborhood near the hospital. Apartment buildings mix in with older townhomes and quiet, well-kept greenspaces.

A few couples pass them; a family with two young kids; a man bustling along with paper bags stuffed full of groceries. The night is chilly enough to fog their breath, but the sky is clear and endless.

Levi has half a mind to ask where they’re going, while the other half wants to keep it a surprise. Or, maybe, he’s just too afraid his voice will catch his throat, come out sounding like a frog. It always does around Nico, the ambulance being the one exception.

He credits the flood of adrenaline for that.

And he credits the warmth of Nico’s hand as the only reason he’s not panicking right now, like he has been all day long. The jittery nerves, the flutter in his heart — those feelings are still there, just… not quite as strong. Every step they take on their comfortably quiet walk pushes the anxiety further away, and eventually, Levi settles into a stride of confidence, completely in place on Nico’s arm.

He drapes his free hand over Nico’s wrist and nudges his hip. “So, uh, you planning to keep me in the dark all evening or do I get, at least, one clue.”

“Actually…” Nico’s smile is warm and inviting, sucking Levi right in with a drop of heat in his belly.

They stop walking, leaving the heat to catch up with him and color his face, but he’s quickly distracted by Nico opening a door to a somewhat seedy building and nodding.

It’s near dark when the doors shut them inside. Levi’s dazzled by glittering lights, by neon runners along the floors. He blinks a few times, and wall-to-wall, he’s greeted by arcade machines.

“No way.”

Nico laughs, “Yep.”

“Everything in here is—” Levi pulls them in deeper, excitement taking over his usually self-conscious manner when he spies Space Invaders. And Pac-Man. Gauntlet. Defender. He hasn’t been to an arcade since he was a kid and this is a step back in time. “This is amazing!”

“Only if you don’t mind teaching me how to play…” Nico glances around, uncertain. “Everything.”

“We’ll start with something easy.”

“Pac-Man?”

Levi follows the bob of Nico’s head towards the closest machine, a slow grin forming. “Collect the little white dots and don’t let the ghosts catch you.”

“I can manage that.”

**— —**  


They game for hours.

Nico, as it turns out, is talented at whatever he does and picks up every objective like a pro. Levi is tugged from one machine to the next; not that he minds. It’s intimate, gathering around the black-lit screens together, shoulders brushing. They razz one another, elbow ribs, steal shy glances and soft touches. As the arcade fills with adults and teens alike, they crowd closer, nestle on stools together. They’re happily trapped in their own bubble, ignoring all the others and their own grumbling stomachs.

Eventually, Levi grabs stale popcorn, drinks, and sour straws from Concessions to tide them over, and soon enough, with his tongue twirling a green apple punch straw into his mouth, Nico guns for another highscore.

“Four hundred thousand?” He licks sugar granules from his lips, tapping the red start button eagerly. “That’s nothing.”

“Nothing? You’ll never get it.”

“And what if I do?”

Levi shrugs, leaning against the side where  **Galaga**  stamps down the machine. 

“You could, uh—” He tosses popcorn into his mouth, sets the paper bag on the open stool next to the them, and folds his arms while he chews slowly. It’s a considerable effort to ooze nonchalance, but there’s no hiding how bright his eyes are or how his face burns with want.

The latter, of course, he blames on Nico’s now wet mouth and the minute flex in his forearms. His green sweater sleeves are rolled up, adding casual chicness to his already handsome look. Then there’s the way he’s sitting: straight backed to show off his chest, legs spread slightly, thighs drawing Levi’s eyes time after time.

Although, for the former, for the light in his gaze and the affection whispering through his veins, Levi can only link to how Nico makes him feel seen.

He laughs under his breath when Nico reaches for him,  **Galaga**  forgotten for the moment. Coaxed onto Nico’s lap, Levi settles sideways, links his arms behind his neck, and leans into him at the thrill of Nico’s hands wrapping around his hips.

“I could what?” Nico asks. His head is tilted back, brown eyes watchful and patient.

“You could kiss me?”

“Are you asking? Or telling me?”

“Well, um. Huh.” Catching his bottom lip, Levi regards the awaiting game. “You _will_ kiss me… if you can’t beat the highscore.” He looks back at Nico to find a playfully perturbed frown.

“You’re betting that I’ll lose?”

“Those odds are higher.”

With an airy chuckle, the arm around Levi’s back tightens just slightly. Nico’s free hand runs up Levi’s front, fingers tapping his chin— and that’s all the more convincing Levi needs. He dips his head, meets Nico lips with a soundless gasp, and  _damn._

There really is nothing quite as sweet as kissing him. Not the apple candy on his tongue. Or the soda lingering there. Though, he chases each flavor down, sighing into Nico’s mouth. There’s nothing nearly as thrilling, either. His first day as a resident, his first surgery with Dr. Grey, his first save of a patient: nothing compares.

Even the recent windstorm pales next to this… until that memory brings a thrill of its own.

Levi smiles into the kiss, wrapping his fingers in soft, black hair. The gesture holds familiarity, and Nico’s resulting hum is one he memorized in the elevator just weeks ago. He makes a happy little sound in return, pulls back with a smile on his face, lips glistening.

“Or,” he prompts breathlessly as Nico brushes wild brown hair away from glasses’ frame. Levi captures his hand and kisses the back of it. “If you lose, we could go back to your place.”

Nico’s brows shoot up. “Oh?”

“No deal?”

“I don’t know. You’re really cute when you’re frustrated.” His smile is devilish. “All shouty and flushed.”

_“No—”_

But it’s too late. Nico adjusts their weight on the stool, reaching around Levi for the game’s Start button and joystick, a gleam in his dark eyes.

“How about, if I win this, you have to sit through dinner and few drinks with me? Then I’ll take you home.”

Laughing, Levi accepts. “I hope you know, as proud as I am to see your name stamped all over the scoreboards, this is the one time I’m really hoping you lose.” 


End file.
